8. Chapter Eight - Contamination

I cracked a smile as I heard the offensive sound closing in on me. I knew my gift wouldn’t abandon me now. My back was turned and I knew exactly which angle the van was coming at me. Right towards the back of my truck, crushing my truck’s rear in the process.

The only thing I had to do was move slightly to the right and no one would get hurt, not even Tyler. Well, not severely anyways.

I tossed my head around, quickly finding the van out of control and skidding right towards me. The ground was left slick and lethal after a cold night. It was like the vampires return blew an icy gust of wind through the town, freezing over everything and leaving it deadly for the humans.

But, no one was dying today. I was making sure of that.

I glanced around swiftly, reassuring myself for the last time.

The truck is coming right at me! I’m going to die. I just wanted to talk to Bella…

The air in my lungs left right away as I heard his silent words. A few feet from me was Mike, his eyes bewildered, frozen from the shock. I watched as he stared at the oncoming threat, in utter amazement.

The panic was increasing rapidly, not only my own but every soul in the lot was suddenly having the greatest adrenaline rushes of their lives. And everything was shooting my way like paralyzing daggers. It was overwhelming me.

I hadn’t even thought of this. And I definitely didn’t think Mike would be anywhere near me!

I couldn’t believe I missed this part, such a crucial part! But, this was not the time for brooding. I had to act. I had to save Mike.

I shook my head, releasing myself from my trance. The screeching was nearing; I knew I only had a couple of seconds left. Mike’s eyes were wide with fear and as he met mine, I started for it.

My legs started moving on their own, but Mike was farther away than I originally thought. His face was drained for blood and he was staring at my approaching body, his face clearly displaying his question.

What are you doing?

He was staring intently, just like the other fifty students. But, I kept running.

I had no idea what I was doing but all of a sudden I found myself lunging at Mike. I jumped him and knocked him out of the way sending both of flying and landing on to the hard asphalt. The air was knocked out of me and I was pretty sure the same went for Mike too. The cold icy ground sent shivers up my spine and I convulsed involuntary.

Then I heard something break, Tyler’s van collided with my truck with such force that it catapulted the van backwards. It was going to fall on top of us.

Come on!

The stupid thing just wouldn’t leave me alone today, the universe was hell bent on killing Mike and me. I pulled at Mike with all my might but he didn’t move an inch. He had passed out; somewhere in the process his head had hit the ground.

The van was at its height and just about to fall, we would be squashed in a matter of seconds. We were goners.

At least I tried saving him…

The wind blew, throwing my hair back.

“Bella? You have to move! I’ll take care of Mike.” His velvet voice broke through my self-induced haze and brought me back to reality. I stood up on my feet, assuming crawling away would take too long. But, as I tried to stabilize myself I realized I was wobbly on my feet. The parking lot was spinning and I told myself that I must have hit my head as well. I even considered going back on my hands and knees, at least I wouldn’t fall that way.

The next thing I knew I was flung over something hard and moving swiftly away from the scene. I heard the glass shattering and the metal hitting the ground. I heard the screaming and the panicked voices of the student body.

He put me down again and I noticed that we had only moved slightly from where Mike and I were lying only a few moments ago.

“Bella, are you okay?” I could hear the urgency in his voice, and I started idly wondering why he would care at all. But, I was distracted. Edward drew a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

I froze.

Slowly, taking his time and waiting for me to answer, he let his fingers linger at my ear. I couldn’t help but staring into his eyes, marveling over the serenity his touch gave. His bright topaz eyes were sparkling, the worry in them clear for the world to see.

I drew a sharp breath, suddenly aware of the close vicinity of Edward. It felt warm despite his cold, lingering fingers. I broke the gaze, feeling that damn blush coming on. He started and moved away, probably caught in the same weird, engulfing daze that I fell into. I minutely glanced at Mike’s still form, wondering if he’d be okay.

“I’m fine” I said still watching Mike. ”But, I’m unsure about Mike. He hit his head pretty hard.” I changed my gaze back to Edward and found him giving me a quizzical look.

“What?” I said, my reflexes’ hitting in.

And before he could answer, we were surrounded. Our calm little space was turned into the center of the accident, even though it wasn’t.

“Someone call 991!”

“Oh, my god! Bella, are you okay?”

“Mike!”

“Oh, dear god! They could have died”

“Someone help, Tyler!”

They were all screaming, panicking, stressing. All losing their heads. You can bet it all ricocheted back to me and with everyone standing so close, it was ten times as bad.

Edward somehow sensed my distress and scooted next to me, his calm enveloping me. I gave him a grateful stare right in his eyes, again trying to get something out of that closed head of his. He nodded and it was to no avail. I wondered how he was able to sense my distress that easily. My expressions were usually guarded. I never wanted anyone to notice me wincing when someone else fell and scratched their knees or frowning when they got a bad grade. I did after all have some experience in the field.

I frowned at myself for slipping up. Edward was obviously very perceptive. I had to be extra careful around him. Just because I knew his secret, didn’t mean that I was sharing mine. No way.

Edward stayed put next to me for the next fifteen minutes until the ambulance and the EMTs arrived, securing my calm. I was contemplating how he did it, how his presence made me feel so peaceful and composed.

Why him?

While I speculated about this the EMTs coaxed me into going to the hospital for a check-up.

---

They placed me in the same room as Tyler and Mike. Which I thought was totally unnecessary. I wasn’t hurt, not really.

Tyler was out of it, he ended up with a concussion and a rib or two broken, and considering his van had tilted over, he got out of pretty easy. Mike had passed out in the parking lot and like I said, he had banged his head against the asphalt. They told me they both would be okay, eventually.

The EMTs had put a neck brace on me after someone, namely Edward Cullen, told them that I had hit my head pretty hard. Which I didn’t. I felt perfectly fine, the dizziness was even gone. I tore the brace of and tossed it under Tyler’s bed. I was in the middle of the two. Mike and Tyler.

I couldn’t help but feel that I could have prevented this somehow. Kept us all out the hospital. The accidents just kept piling up the little while I was in Forks. I really just felt…responsible.

The room was quiet, eerily so. Tyler and Mike was not much of a conversation, they were both sleeping and resting. I was getting bored and I didn’t want to spend my time alone with my thoughts.

I slipped out of the bed and made my way out the door. This hospital must have been one of the worlds quietest. There was no one to spy in the corridor and the place almost gave me the chills.

I turned a corner and finally saw some nurses flying from one room to another. Fortunately, I was still wearing my regular clothes and the nurses didn’t make any remarks on my lurking. I kept walking down a long hall and suddenly my mind was filled with familiar thoughts. The classmates were here. All of them. I could count them; Jessica, Angela, Eric were all there accompanied with rest of the student body.

My former wish for conversation dissipated quickly as I felt the huge crowd behind the door I was standing in front of. The worry, surprise, anxiety, tension and curiosity was oozing from them. I didn’t think I was able to handle it. No way was I going to go and talk to all of them. I turned around and walked away hurriedly.

As I turned another corner and flew through another hall, something I passed caught my eye. A shiny plaque with the words Dr. Carlisle Cullen engraved on it. I stopped dead in my tracks and examined the writing a bit more careful. Edward’s father. Of course he worked here. As the only hospital in Forks, every doctor was placed here.

This Carlisle fascinated me. How on earth did he stand being a doctor?

I had learned enough from Edward’s mind to understand that these weren’t ordinary vampires. They drained blood from animals instead of humans. I wrinkled my nose. How disgusting that must be. Digesting blood. How could they stand it?

I found my hand around the door knob. I wanted to go in. Maybe I could find some sort of clue on how Carlisle did it. What his secret was. Because surely, he must have had a secret.

I turned the knob and went inside. His office was large, incredibly large for any kind work. I flicked on the light and saw his large work desk, a large amount of papers were scattered across the desk and it seemed like he spent a lot of time behind his desk.

Now, that makes sense. Paper work seems relatively safe for a vampire.

He had a huge collection of books and I found myself wanting to know Carlisle. He must have had a thousand books! I couldn’t even imagine what his library at home looked like, and trust me, he must have had a library at home. He loved books, just like me. I felt the smile tugging at my corners.

I ran my fingers across the books backs, just to get to feel them. They were old, but most of them were medical books, which also made sense. I shrugged and turned to focus on something else. I spotted a couple of paintings straight across from the bookcase.

They were magnificent. It was clear to me, even though I was in no way an expert, that they too, were old. Very old. Oil paintings. I recalled that Edward himself was over a hundred years old. I wondered how old Carlisle was.

So far, I liked Carlisle. He liked books, he seemed wise and he was a doctor despite his apparent disadvantage. He was sacrificing himself for others. He must be a good person.

“Ehm…”

The all too familiar voice startled me, bringing me back out of my reverie. I jumped and breathed in.

“What are you doing here?” his voice wasn’t angry, but curious. This relaxed my slightly, but my heart was still beating furiously. This was technically trespassing.

I abruptly faced him, and he straightened up, looking just as tense as the first days.

I didn’t get him.

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing here?” I asked a little too sharply. I needed some time to come up with an excuse.

He walked towards me, by the desk, his eyes trained on my face.

“This is my father’s office” he said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

His eyes were sparkling again, like he was actually enjoying this. I hated not being able to read his mind right at that moment. He was so confusing. Or were all people this hard to read when you actually couldn’t read their minds? Maybe, I gave myself too much credit in that department.

“What are you thinking about?” he said and I jumped again. He chuckled, truly amused. He was suddenly dangerously close, his breaths almost blowing in my face. I blinked.

“I was…um…wondering about what you were thinking about.” I said, stumbling through the whole sentence. I thought I might as well tell him the truth, it wasn’t like he was going to depict my true intentions.

The crease in between his eyes grew, and he looked confused. I remembered he was a mind reader, but couldn’t read my mind. That was something I was happy about. I could even imagine how immensely embarrassing that would be. His earlier question wasn’t a surprise, of course he would wonder about my closed mind. Just like I wondered about his.

At least I understand your frustration.

He stepped back. “That was exactly what I was thinking about. Wondering what you were thinking.” His eyes locked with mine, and he did his probing. I could tell from the intensity of his look. I don’t know why we kept doing this, none of us got anything out it. I didn’t even bother probing, I knew better. I took the chance to stare into his eyes.

I didn’t know what that was about either. I just felt…at home when I looked him in the eyes. I didn’t know if it was the same for Edward too, what was I a mind reader? But, it didn’t matter. Not for the moment anyway.

His intensity grew weaker and I knew that he had given up on his own probing. I wonder if he understood that I did the same probing.

I shook my head, breaking our stare for the second time that day.

I knew I should have felt sacred and cautious around Edward, but I didn’t.

“So, why did you try and save Mike? You could have just moved, you know?” He was probing again, just openly this time.

So, he was curious about me. Something was telling me he knew I wasn’t totally normal.

That makes us two. Oh, I mean eight.

I rolled my eyes and moved away from him. I can play the same game.

“How come you were able to carry both Mike and me?” I said, arching a brow, just to get the whole suspicious act right. I knew why. He was strong, probably a hundred times stronger than me. That part of him was a little intimidating, oh, yeah and the part about him being a vampire. But, I refused to be frightened.

I caught that he was slightly taken aback before he carefully rearranged his features. I smirked as he glowered.

“You can’t answer a question with another one.”

“I think I just did.” I smiled sweetly. I had this acting thing down.

He raked one hand through his hair in exasperation, and I couldn’t help but watch. His hair was beautiful, the oddest color I had ever seen on some ones head, but all the same; beautiful.

“Let me ask you a question” I said, genuinely wanting an answer.

He looked back at me with what seeming like hope, hoping we might actually get somewhere with the conversation.

“Why did you come to save us? You could have just stayed put.”

He hesitated for awhile, battling within himself about something I didn’t have access to. But, I really didn’t understand his willingness to save us. Why would he want to? It wasn’t like I meant something to, and I don’t even think Edward liked Mike. Why take such a risk in exposing himself and his family to the oblivious world? I knew he must have used some of his extra powers when he came to save us. He was nowhere near us, that much I checked.

His eyes were looking into mine, again probing and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes or smack him and say that it won’t work. But I resisted. His indecisiveness was dominating and apparently winning. I stared back.

“I don’t know” he croaked out and his gaze fell to the floor. It sounded more like something he was telling himself rather than me. I wanted to touch his chin and bring his eyes back to mine, fill him with my own reassurance.

“Exactly, why do we do anything? We act on instincts. Besides, I didn’t want Mike to die.” I shrugged and I saw a hint of a smile on his face.

“So, could you give me ride home?” My car was still at school and I was guessing Edward escaped the EMTs somehow. Probably bribed or threaten them, I didn’t know.

He brightened up and smiled at me, the first time he had smiled at me! It was infectious and I cracked my own smile.

“Sure.” His smile somewhat transformed and turned crooked.

We walked out together and there at the turn of the second corner, was Charlie standing outside the room I was originally placed in. I hadn’t seen Charlie before now and he was visibly anxious and a little angry.

Where is she?!

He was worrying like all parents do, even though there really wasn’t a reason for it. His back was turned to us so he didn’t see us approaching. I touched his arm carefully, alerting him about our presence. I immediately felt worse. Like a bucket of guilt was being poured right over me. He had been worrying sick about me for hours and I hadn’t even bothered thinking about his reaction to it all. What would I do if I heard my daughter was hit by a car?

I was a bad daughter. And I’m supposed to feel other people’s feelings? Supposed to sympathize easily? I should’ve predicted it.

I shook my head, and glanced at Edward. He looked as awful as I felt.

“Dad…” I started but Charlie interrupted me with a fierce hug. I was speechless. This was new. Charlie didn’t do much hugs or kisses or anything of that sort. And neither did I.

“You okay?” he whispered as he was hugging me.

“Dad, I’m fine. Sorry, for not waiting for you to come.” He released me and gave me an awkward kiss on the forehead.

“Have you seen the doctor?”

I couldn’t lie when he was staring at me so intensely and I really didn’t want to either. I had stressed my dad enough for the day. I gave a weak shake of my head.

“Dr. Cullen is in there right now.”

“Dr. Cullen?” I gave a glance in Edward’s direction. He frowned.

Dr. Cullen was one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. Not that I had seen a huge amount of men in my life, but if I had, he would probably still top my list. He had fair hair and the same topaz eyes that marked him for what he was. He really was a doctor.

It was astonishing. The restraint he must have had.

I couldn’t help but stare. His skin was just as pale Edward and the rest of his family. How could anyone believe that his beauty was human?

“Isabella. You seem fine to me, have you experience any pain?” He pointed some light in my eyes, examining them I guess.

“No, not really. I’m fine, really. I don’t even need to be here, but certain someone’s squealed on me.” I glared at Edward. He simply smiled at me.

I huffed and I could swear I saw Dr. Cullen smile himself.

“And it’s Bella.” I did not want people going around calling me Isabella.

“Well, Bella. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t go home then. Bu, take it easy and take some Tylenol if you experience any pain.” I smiled and nodded, happy I didn’t need to stay any longer. I didn’t like hospitals. People’s last thoughts before they died were never pleasant to hear. Or the people around them, it’s horrible. Like dying yourself.

“Great,” I beamed and jumped down from the bed.

---

Nothing was like just going home after the day I had. I rode home with Charlie in the cruiser after telling Edward I better just ride home with my father.

I needed to relax and asses what happened. Because, a lot had happened.

“Dad, what do you want for dinner?” I asked finding it as an excuse to think a little.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Bells, you were in a car accident. You heard the doctor. You need to relax. We can order out.” He smiled and I smiled back at his thoughtfulness.

We ordered pizza and watched some TV, mostly sports of course and knowing my dad I knew he would sit up for many hours watching that sport of his. So, after a while I called it a night.

“Night, dad” I said as I ascended the stairs.

“Night, Bells. And please, be more careful from now on. You scared me half to death today.” Just as I was about to argue I saw his eyes. Pleading and truly terrified of what might happen to me.

I gave in. “Okay, dad. I promise.”

I wish I could have told him, see his face light up with pride.

Dad, I saved someone’s life today. Like you do!

But, I didn’t. I didn’t know if I could ever tell him either. What would he think of me? I really didn’t think that he would abandon me or something, he was my dad for crying out loud. But, what if he wasn’t able to look at me the same? Or be normal around me? Considering I could always read his mind, that one wasn’t very unlikely.

I would understand if something like that happened. And that’s why I never told anyone either. My mom knew, yeah. But, we were never able to bond. She was always aware of my presence, always shielding her thoughts or thinking that she should and later giving me apologetic looks. It was tiring, probably even worse for my mom.

I’m guessing that’s why she suggested I should leave for Forks anyway and I know that’s part of the reason why I agreed.

It wasn’t my mother’s fault, why should she live and deal with the repercussions?

I fell into my bed, as soon I reached it.

I was exhausted.

Saving lives did that to you.

I saved a life.

I just couldn’t get over it. I shouldn’t want to get over it. I smiled against my pillow. It felt good.

Maybe, I should do it more often.

It’s not like I couldn’t. Maybe, that was why I was given this gift to begin with. I rolled over in my bed, my contemplating really getting to me. Maybe, that was my purpose here on earth.

“Yeah, and maybe I could fly like Superman,” I mocked myself and rolled my eyes.

It was getting late, my room was dark, not a ray of light shining in. My yawning was really getting over hand and I had school tomorrow. I groaned and tossed my body around. School was going to be hell tomorrow, everything was going to be about that stupid accident. All of students directing their energy and attention towards us.